The Justice Walk Travelog - October 2022

Leadership coaching rooted in equity and justice

This month's walking...

Why do I root my work in equity, justice, and belonging? Our systems, institutions, and society were founded on the beliefs that only the white, straight, male ways of operating are "right," and that the needs and wants of white, cis-het males should be prioritized over those of anyone else. This narrow lens informs and combines with all forms of discrimination (race, class, gender, sexual identity, physical or mental ability, etc.) to create inequitable and unjust access to opportunities, even inside our organizations.The philanthropic and nonprofit sectors developed out of these same foundations and most adopted values around "helping" that patronize directly-impacted people, assuming they don't know what's best for themselves and can't act on their own behalf. I've been part of that way of working in the past.However, we can all contribute to building new bedrock-level values that encourage and embrace different ways of seeing, being, and doing that ensure every individual can thrive in our organizations and communities.  Ways that center the needs of those traditionally marginalized.

john a powell, from the Othering and Belonging Institute, gives this definition of belonging:“Belonging means more than just being seen. Belonging entails having a meaningful voice and the opportunity to participate in the design of social and cultural structures. Belonging means having the right to contribute to, and make demands on, political institutions. Belonging is more than just feeling included. In a legitimate democracy, belonging means that your well-being is considered and your ability to design and give meaning to its structures and institutions is realized.” Creating communities of belonging requires going a step deeper than ensuring organizations are accessible and inclusive. It also requires shifting power. The Combahee River Collective has stated, “...if Black women were free, it would mean that everyone else would have to be free since our freedom would necessitate the destruction of all the systems of oppression.”

As we pursue the ongoing work to create relationships, communities, and organizations rooted in the values of belonging, we need to intentionally shift power to those who've traditionally been kept far away from it. Every day I'm on the journey to undo old habits while learning and implementing about what roles I can play to participate in shifting power and centering the marginalized.If everyone, of every identity, is going to belong, to have true access to power, we all have unlearning and learning work to do. We have to understand that equity, justice, and belonging principles aren't "extra," but must be the foundation we use to determine our response to every situation we are in.That's why The Justice Walk is rooted in equity, justice, and belonging. It's a reflection of my ongoing journey to have all of my words and actions rooted in those principles. And a commitment to root all of my partnerships in those principles.It's hard to unlearn what we've been taught and socialized to believe. It's hard to learn new habits. It's also necessary, builds community, and opens one's eyes to a fuller, richer reality. The Justice Walk exists to partner with you on this journey, compassionately validating the hard, while holding you accountable for taking every next step.

These images are from the Belonging Workshop Facilitators Guide, developed by the Othering & Belonging Institute. I appreciate the way they illustrate that when we practice integration, different dots join the circle, but stay in their own, separate area of the circle. While inclusion sees dots of all colors across all sectors of the circle, it still keeps us restricted to a pre-determined shape and size. BELONGING is more expansive. It breaks the boundaries and confinement of the circle, making room for more ideas, different kinds of knowledge, and a broader community.The Institute points out that the expansiveness of the belonging image also highlights the fact that belonging is an ongoing process and journey.  I think about these images all of the time. Moving from left to right won't happen in a finger-snap. Aspects of our lives and organizations will be in different circles at the same time.What's one thing I can do today to move towards the vision of Belonging? What's one thing you can do?

Recently I've begun to slowly make my way through the episodes of Prentis Hemphill's Finding Our Way podcast.  I say slowly because each episode's conversation is so rich and meaningful that I need time to process and integrate the learnings before moving on.At one point during the episode where ALOK is the guest, they talk about having the courage to break their own heart in the context of deconstructing narratives we've been taught that are toxic and/or harmful. This can mean breaking away from relationships and/or institutions that have been integral to who we are.ALOK says something along the lines of, "the only way to joy is through pain." As I used to say to my therapist, "I'm not arguing with you. I'm just saying that this is a stupid system and I hate it."I know what ALOK means though, and I've experienced the joy on the other side of a self-broken heart.  The joy that comes through finding your people, the ones who lean in with support and encouragement as your heart breaks, then heals.  The ones you'd never find before your heart cracked.For me, walking away from the construction of whiteness and white supremacy was an example of self heart-break.  Not that walking away was a one-time, past-tense thing. It's something I'll be practicing the rest of my life.  Facades fell down. "Truths" were toppled. But much richer relationships and understandings of reality and roles I can play grew up in their place.ANYWAY, that's some of what I got from an episode of Finding Our Way. Check it out for yourself.  If you do, let me know what stops you cold. Send me an email, tweet at me, or contact me on LinkedIn (links at the bottom).Please note, if audio isn't your thing, episode transcripts are also available on the website.

In this work we talk about intersectionality a lot - Kimberlee Crenshaw's term for the fact that oppressions don't happen in silos. Our identities aren't separate. The more identities you have that experience oppression, the more oppression will impact you.  (So a Black, disabled, queer, non-binary person is bearing the brunt of racism, abelism, anti-queer, and gender oppression simultaneously)This photo, from a beach near my house a few months ago, captures a different, but related example of intersectionality. In life, moments are rarely one thing. Sun, rain, clouds, and rainbows often co-exist, literally, and figuratively. It's a journey to stay open to the nuances and what they can teach us. For me, part of that journey requires me to find stillness so that I can absorb whatever the sea and sky are trying to teach me.  However you restore and prepare for the journey, here's a reminder to prioritize it. :-)

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